‘Princess Kaguya’ Opens October 17

GKIDS has announced it will release Studio Ghibli’s latest feature animation The Tale of the Princess Kaguya in theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto on October 17 — with a North American expansion to follow. The lucky opening theaters will be NYC’s IFC Center, Arclight Hollywood and Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, Princess Kaguya is adapted from the widely known 10th century Japanese folktale “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” The film centers on a tiny girl discovered in a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen). The girl rapidly grows into an exquisite young lady (Chloe Grace Moretz) — the mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her, but ultimately she must confront her fate.

The English voice cast also stars Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, George Segal, James Marsden, Beau Bridges, Oliver Platt, John Cho and Dean Cain. The film most recently won the Audience Award at Austin’s Fantastic Fest. The official website is ThePrincessKaguya.com.